Rise of the Guardians: The Adults Peril
by Alice Meri Fox
Summary: The children have made it through Pitch Black with the help of the Guardians. Now the Guardians must rise again with others like them to take on a new darkness that terrorizes the adults.
1. Chapter 1

Bunny sat next to Kitten on a cement ledge in the local park, both were contentedly eating their ice cream. Though it was late-fall, the weather was warm, inviting all to relax in the last bit of summer weather they had before Jack Frost came through.

The town of Frostville was aptly named, as frost was its constant companion all year 'round. Once, Easter was nearly ruined due to a blizzard that had raged in the night before. But now all was well. The children played in the afternoon sun, unaware of the toll that seized their parents.

Hectic work schedules, deadlines, debt, war between family and work; the parents had no relief. No one knew what lay on the horizon.

The small child looked to the curvy woman. "When will it happen?"

The woman looked down to her child. "I don't know. Soon." She turned her attention back to the children playing. "Within the year. And it will affect more than the children this time." Her eyes began to cloud over in a black fog. "It will cover all in horrid darkness. The world will break down. Time himself may die. We all shall have to take a stand." She blinked rapidly and her eyes once again cleared back to blue.

Curiosity looked from her mother to her mothers' book on which she sat. It was the only book of its kind and the only one her mother owned. After all Bunny Babbitt was the one and only embodiment of the Book of Knowledge.

XXXXX

A/n: Okay, so as most of you may know, this is my first non-script based story. So if it takes me a while to finish this, I'm sorry! This may turn into a romance if I can figure out all that's supposed to happen.


	2. Chapter 2

Bunny looked fondly at her daughter, remembering when the Man in the Moon had created them.

* * *

_The woman woke with her arms around a small child. The bright moon had nearly blinded her and she turned her head to the side. 'What happened? Where am I?_ Who _am I_?'_ Her eyes fell upon a brown book not far from her. She looked from it to the girl-child in her arms. The girl-child was short and sturdy, her wild blond hair spread around her like a blanket._

_The woman gently rolled the girl-child onto the ground and reached for the book, pushing her own dark blond hair from her face. The book was large but light as she slid her hands over the hard leather cover. She gently opened the parchment papers to see nothing was written. Passing her hands over the pages she found the book completely empty of all words or pictures._

_"Prepare yourself."_

_The woman looked around but saw no one. "Who was that?"_

_"I am the Man in the Moon, and I'm going to give you a great gift. Prepare yourself."_

_"Gift? What gi- AHH!" The woman grabbed her head as it pulsed with the knowledge of things past and just ahead of the present._

_"This is your gift, to bear all the knowledge of this world. The book will record all things." The Man in the Moon paused. "Bunny Babbitt, I leave you with your Curiosity, Kitten."_

_All was silent as the woman, Bunny, looked at the book, now full of writing. The words were flowing elegantly as they were written. 'All the knowledge of this world?' And Bunny began to read. Well, skim. 'I'm never going to be able to read all of it,' she reasoned with herself._

_After a few minuets, her butt became sore, and she stood. She looked to the girl-child, 'Kitten, I guess,' and picked her up gently. Cradling Kitten to her chest, she began to walk in no particular direction. Hours later Kitten began to squirm in Bunny's arms._

_Bunny placed the girl-child down and Kitten looked at her curiously. "Who are you?"_

_Bunny thought a moment. "I am your mother. Your name is Kitten Babbitt."_

_"What is your name?"_

_"Bunny."_

_"Why do you have a book?"_

_"Because all books hold knowledge, and I am it's keeper."_

_"Do I get a book?"_

_"I don't know. But we must move on. We need shelter."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because it may rain. If it rains, we may get wet. If we get wet, we may get sick. If we get sick, we might go to sleep and not wake up. If we don't wake up, we are dead, so you would like to find shelter, wouldn't you?" Kitten only nodded her head quickly. "Good. Do you want to walk on your own?" Kitten shook her head and held her arms out to her mother. Bunny laughed and picked her up, handing her the book. "Hold tight to it, now. We shouldn't lose this." The two set out on their way, learning about their surroundings and each other as they went._

_On the second day they rested for a few moments on top of a large hill. Kitten flopped onto the soft grass with a loud huff. "We have been walking forever!"_

_Bunny laughed as she sat on a boulder. "It has only been a day, my child."_

_The girl-child looked to the woman. "That's a long time!"_

_"Hardly." Bunny looked out across the expanse that lay ahead of them, spotting something in the distance. "Is that a tree over there?"_

_Her daughter pushed her self up from her lying position. "It looks like it. Can we stay there if it is?"_

_"If it's big enough for us."_

_Kitten jumped up and began pulling on Bunny's boo Malden arms. "Come on! Come on! Let us go!"_

_Bunny laughed again and stood, picking up her daughter. By night fall they had made it to the tree, finding it large and welcoming. There was a large door like indent in its trunk. "do you think if we hollow it out, it would still grow," Kitten asked her mother as she held onto the woman's hand tightly._

_Bunny pressed her hand to the bark of the tree and felt the fresh life underneath. "Yes I do think it would. But that is something for another day. Tonight we will rest and tomorrow we will find what food is around."_

_The years had passed and the tree was hollowed out to make a home for the mother-daughter duo, the tree continuing to grow as Bunny predicted. Life seemed to gather around the tree as a forest began to spring to life around it. Larger animals flocked around it during the summer, making for good hunting. The winters were long and cold, causing ice to indent the ground and melt, forming a large lake around one side of the tree, supplying the tree and it's inhabitants with fresh water._

* * *

Bunny was snapped out of her reverie by her daughter. "I wanna go home."

She smiled and stood. "Come on then, Baby."


	3. Chapter 3

The tree was buzzing with life, as it was every day, giving it the name and title, The Tree of Life. It's residents? Any Guardian that had ever been created throughout time that wished to live within its comforting structure. The ruling body within? Bunny Babbitt as the Book of Knowledge! The tenants of the old tree were kind but rowdy and Bunny did her best to keep all in line.

When they were created, guardians from all over somehow found their way to the tree whilst looking for a new place to seek answers. Bunny was reluctant to give them what they sought and insisted that they find their own answers, as she had hers.

Ella Daisy, Mina Summers, August Worthington: the resident seasons kept to the upper floor with Bunny and her daughter, Kitten, assisting Bunny with control of the other tenants. Max Waters, the child of mischief, often slept outside as Bunny would not let him in if he was dirty and caked with mud without a bath. Pappy and Poppy Hourglass took the bottom level as they were getting on in they're years.

Patrick O'Brian, Heather "Pumpkin" Herald, and Amour St. James, the embodiments of St. Patty's, Halloween, and Valentines Day, co-habituated the floor below the Seasons, often creating rows with each other as to whose holiday was more important. Saint the embodiment of All Saints Day, a holiday hardly celebrated had several heads, all which required a room to them selves, occupied the middle floor.

Adam Father, keeper of the fountain of youth, kept to himself on the second floor. Busying himself in the kitchens by waking early and making every meal from scratch. The second floor was also home to the living area and the study, where Bunny kept her favourite books for others to read.

Everyone in the tree knew about the Honored Guardians and what they had done when Pitch Black tried to take control of the children. And they were grateful. On the other side of the world, the occupants of the tree fought against the Darkness that had started encompassing the local towns. Even after the Bogieman's defeat, the Darkness remained in the towns, and the Guardians had no hopes of finding out who or what was causing it.


	4. Chapter 4

"Bunny, I wanna go play!" Max hung from the ceiling of the grand stair that circled the center of the tree.

The stair led to the upper most bed of the tree that held the Great Globe of Believers, the globe every guardian held to show the believers of the world, the Fountain of Youth's spring, and Bunny's Great Book stand, used only with permission from the Man in the Moon.

"I told you, 'no.' I've just got you clean, I want you to stay that way for at least a day!" Bunny walked down the stairs with a laundry basket, laden with clothes and her open book. "And get off the ceiling!" Max huffed but did as told. Bunny walked to the base of the tree where they had moved the roots to modernize it into a laundry room and cell for Pitch. "Morning Pitch!"

The Bogieman looked to the Book of Knowledge with an evil glare. "Morning? I wouldn't know. You see, I've been stuck in here since I've tried to get believed in."

"Taking over the dreams of the children if the world with nightmares, killing Sandy, and almost destroying the rest of us, is not the way to go about it. You're lucky you still have a handful of people that believe in you or you wouldn't be even here." Bunny set her basket down and removed her book.

'Pitch tries to escape his prison, but is thwarted by Bunny's quick thinking.'

"Don't even think about it Pitch!" Bunny turned to face him, his hand raised to break the bars of his enclosure. "You know full well that those bars are shielded from you. All you'll do is knock yourself out."

"Then you'll have to come in to check on me."

"No I won't. I'll leave you there and laugh at you." Bunny turned back to her laundry, setting the book on top of the dryer. After loading and starting her wash, she collected her book and her basket. "Be good!" And with that she went back upstairs.

As she passed the first floor Poppy opened her door. "Bunny, darling, is Pitch still in his cell? Pappy is off his rocker that he's escaped."

"Don't worry, Poppy, he's still there. He can't get out." Bunny placed her basket on the stair, picked up her book and opened it, reading. "Why is Pappy so paranoid? He knows that I'm the only one that can open the cell."

The aged woman chuckled and pushed the book away from the other. "It's probably nothing. You know how he gets. You don't worry about Pitch. I'll take care of Pappy. Now go on up to your little Curiosity."

Bunny sighed, placed the book in the basket, and picked it up. "If you say so, Poppy." She climbed up to the top floor and sat on her bed with her book. 'There must be a way to see further into the future.' She pressed her hands to the pages and concentrated, her eyes clouding over in a black fog.

The sight was cruel. Pitch sat on a black throne with two faceless forms sitting on either side of him on similar thrones. Before them lay a wasteland of what was once the world. Homes destroyed and trees laid bare. Bunny looked at the bodies closest to her. It was a pair of siblings from Burgess, Frostville's neighbor. 'Jamie. Sophie.'

Her vision turned to the Tree of Life, now dead and rotting in a swamp. The wood was burnt as though it was raided from the outside. Thirteen bodies had been gathered to a single spot, twisted and tortured by fire. They had been burnt alive. Bunny looked into the pile, finding all the residents of the tree. Her own body was curled around that of Kitten and Max, both clinging to her from fear.

Bunny returned to her room, her eyes in bloody red tears. She choked on a sob as her eyes unclouded. Kitten spotted her mother and went to see her. "Mommy, are you okay?" Bunny threw her book to the floor and held her daughter to her chest. Kitten sat confused as to her mothers antics. "What happened?" Bunny only shook her head and held her tighter. Kitten cuddled with her mother until the tears turned normal and dried.

After a while, Bunny shifted. "It's going to be horrid, my dear, and I'm afraid we may have no power to stop it."

"Should we call the Honored Ones?"

"No. I shall talk to the Man in the Moon tonight. Alone."

"I wanna come!"

"No! You will stay in the tree. Both you and Max. August will tie you down if necessary." Kitten looked down pouting. August had used vines to tie her in place as she was being yelled at once. She did not enjoy that particular experience. "Promice you will stay inside."

"I promice."


	5. Chapter 5

The Man in the Moon had given her instructions to call upon North at his home. She was nervously packing her bag. "Kitten," she called as her hands shakily zipped up her bag. Her daughter clomped her way up the stairs from hanging out with Adam in the kitchen.

"Yes, momma?" Kitten was covered from head to toe in flower. When she turned, Bunny began to laugh loudly, temporarily forgetting her fear. "Adam started it! He put cake batter on my nose. So I threw sugar at him."

"W-well, I hope you h-helped him clean up the ki-kitchen," Bunny said through her laughter. Kitten nodded and she calmed down. "Good. Now you need to go pack a bag. Clothes you wouldn't mind getting dirty and your presentation dress in a separate compartment."

"Where am I going?"

"We are going to see North to beg the Honored Ones help."

"Really! I can come!" kitten was overjoyed with the news.

"Only if you hurry and get ready! Go." Kitten nodded and ran off to her area to pack her bag and dress. Bunny finished her packing and attached her bag to her book so her book was secure between her and her bag. After ensuring she had all she needed she lifted her bag from her bed and walked down to Pappy and Poppy's on the bottom level.

"Bunny! What a nice surprise!" Poppy had opened the door and now invited the younger woman in.

"I just came to tell you that Kitten and I are leaving for a little bit. I don't know how long we'll be so I thought I'd give Pappy my keys to the globe and the basement."

"Oh you don't need to do that. You'll both be back soon."

"Even I don't know that, Poppy." Bunny pulled our her skeleton key ring and put it on the table by the door. "It's just a precaution. I have a feeling, and I don't like where it's going. Just keep them there or move them out of sight if they make you uncomfortable, but remember where they are."

"I'll remember. I'm not senile yet, young missy!" The two women laughed, both knowing that was true.

"I should get going. Kitten might wonder if I left without her." Bunny opened the door.

"You two be careful, out and about, out there."

"As always, Poppy, we'll try our best," Bunny said smiling.

Poppy nodded as Kitten flew down the stairs with her bag firmly attached to her back. "Come on, momma, let's go!" Bunny laughed as she allowed her daughter to pull her out the door of the tree.

The next two weeks were filled with much walking, one or two plane rides, and over a dozen train rides to the upper most tip of Russia known as Krasnoyarsk. Standing at the waters edge, the mother-daughter duo saw nothing indicating that they could go further. Until Bunny pulled out her book and threw it over the water.

The book began to fall, but before it touched the freezing liquid it hovered and returned to them welcoming them onto its leather cover. "It's a bit small for us both to stand but I'll sit on it and you can sit on me." Bunny said wadding through the water to sit on the book. Kitten nodded and jumped onto her mothers lap.

Once both were sitting comfortably the book rose above the water and set off at a reasonably fast pace across the icy waters. Once they passed the barriers of the magical realm the book stopped, just over the beginnings of the frozen land. The two slipped off the cover and onto the ground; the book floated down to its keepers hands and she stowed it back into its place. Kitten led the way even more north, the cold winds picking up, striking their skin with ice needles.

Another day they traveled before they found another form of life. The two forms were large and imposing bundles of fur, but Bunny swallowed her fear and spoke. "The Man in the Moon has sent us to see North. It is of the upmost importance that this is done as soon as possible."

The yeti seemed to understand her as they motioned for the two to climb up onto their backs. Bunny made sure Kitten was secure on one before climbing onto the other. And they were off! 'At a much faster pace than the book,' Bunny thought as she held tighter to her ride in fear of slipping off. A few minutes later the four were standing outside a set of double doors. The yeti stood, allowing their riders to slide off, and opened the doors for them.

Quickly rushing inside, mother and daughter brushed off excess snow and gasped in awe at the sight before them. The toys were piled high, some boxed already, most unboxed as Christmas was still a few months away. Yeti were scattered everywhere, building, tinkering, decorating, wrapping. "I thought the elves did the work," Kitten asked as their escorts led them up a set of stairs.

Bunny noticed a pair of small elves walking passed them, carrying a small toy between them. One tripped and the other fell with him, breaking the toy to tiny pieces. "I think the elves are a little to clumsy to do that," she whispered into Kittens ear as she pointed them out. Kitten giggled as they moved on. The Yeti stopped a floor below the Great Globe of Believers, gesturing to a room beside them.

Bunny hesitantly pushed the door open and found a comfortably sized bedroom. "Is this for us?" the Yeti nodded. "Thank you." The Yeti bowed and left.

Kitten crawled onto the bed and under the covers. "Can I go to sleep now?"

Bunny laughed and pulled the covers over herself and her daughter. "Go ahead, sweetheart. I'm sure we will be up early tomorrow." Bunny snuggled into her pillow and was quickly lost to the world of dreams.


	6. Chapter 6

Bunny woke the next morning with her daughter clinging to her numb arm. After quickly extracting herself, she sat up and examined the room. It was filled with deep reds and rich dark woods, reminding her of their tree. She stood, stretched, and dressed in her presentation dress.

Her dress was teal blue in color with a black sash around the middle. A gold necklace and earring set was delicately placed on her before she stepped into nude shoes. She looked out the window and saw the sun had risen above the clouds. Looking back to the bed she saw that Kitten was still curled up in the nest of blankets.

She sighed and began the task of waking her daughter. Sitting next to her, Bunny shook kittens shoulder. "Kitten, it's time to get up and get dressed." Kitten mumbled and rolled over. "Kitten, I know your tired from all the walking but, now is the time to get up." Kitten huffed ams Bunny sat back from her. She leaned forward again and whispered, "If you don't get up I won't let you have those cream cakes Adam gives you all the time."

Kitten jumped from the bed and ran to her bag. "I'm up! I'm up! See? Me? Here? Up!"

Bunny laughed as she helped Kitten into her muted rainbow dress and silver necklace. Kitten threw her nude shoes on as her mother did her hair in soft curls. A knock sounded at the door. "Come in," Bunny said as she finished the last curl.

The door opened slowly. In the doorway was a younger looking boy clothed in a blue hoodie and lighter blue trousers that were bound to his calves. His skin was pale and his hair white. Across his back was a sodden staff. The mother-daughter duo immediately recognized him and turned their gaze to the ground. "Jack Frost."

Jack looked confused for a moment. "Yeah? Book of Knowledge and Curiosity?" The two silently nodded. "Okay? So, follow me."

Kitten looked to her mother, who shrugged and lifted her finger to her lips, telling her to keep quiet. Bunny shooed her daughter out before quickly grabbing her book and following. Jack led them up the final flight of stairs so that they were level with the Great Globe. Before them was a star. Each point held the figure head of each Honored Guardian. At each figure head, their real world representation stood. Kitten held tightly to her mothers skirts in an uncharacteristic show of fear before the Guardians.

North was the first to speak. "Honored guests!" The two flinched at the word. "You are welcome to stay as long as you like. But first, tell us of goings on in the adult world."

Bunny took a step forward. "Honored Ones, it is easier to show you." Bunny opened the front cover of her book and pressed her hand to it. Taking the words from the page she manipulated them to the present, showing all in attendance the darkness that shadowed over much of the world. Each word moved as the world did, distress, anger, hatred, cruelty, and many more over flowing the lands before all was lost to the darkness.

As the words faded back into the book, Bunny spoke again, keeping her eyes to the ground. "This evil is even greater than that of Pitch Black, who now is confined in the Tree of Life. We know what it is to ask this of you, but we have no hopes of finding out who or what it is without your help."


	7. Chapter 7

The Guardians stood silently as if considering her request. "If what you say is true, then all the Guardians are in danger." Bunnymund spoke first. Bunny only nodded. "How many Of the others know of this darkness?"

"Father and Mother Time, the Fountain of Youth, Mischief, all the Seasons, Hallows Eve, St. Valentine, St. Patrick, and All Saints Day, sir."

The guardians remained silent before North spoke again. "I will speak with you separately." He ushered Bunny to his personal workroom and shut the door, leaving Kitten outside. "Man in Moon has been most troubled by this over growing months. He come to me here, in workroom, to ask that I help. I say, 'Help who?' He say, 'Fellow Guardian.' I never heard of you before but I still say okay. Now you come with problem and I wonder how we can help." Bunny looked up sharply at him with fear in her eyes. "No mistake, we will try best we can. But we hold hopes of children, not adults."

"You don't get it do you?" Bunny looked at him in angered confusion. "Kitten and I journey to Frostville to oversee the season changes. You have no idea the power that holds but as it comes closer to just Christmas and Easter. The adults become kinder, more giving, more understanding, happier, because it's that time of the year. Christmas Eve day, no one is open for fear of missing their families, their happy children because you fill them all with happiness! It is the same everywhere across the globe, regardless of weather or not they celebrate. It's you lot that make it all better."

North stood awestruck at her rant. "We do all that?"

"And more. That's why we need your help." Bunny sighed. "Because you're the best of us. The most believed in."

North laughed. "Then what are we waiting for?" He grabbed her free wrist and made to pull her out the door. Bunny stood still and did not turn as a black fog overtook her eyes. North stood in front of her as the future played out in front of her. When the fog retreated Bunny's face brightened. "What was that?"

"A vision of the future. A possible outcome of our pursuit."

"And?"

"It was very good. But I'll not say, just in case," Bunny said smiling softly.

"Is very good, yes?" Bunny nodded. "Then we will make it so. Come, we must hurry." North pulled Bunny out of the workroom and to the others. Kitten hid behind her mothers skirt again as North began to give out preparation commands.

Bunny knelt down to Kitten. "What's wrong, Kitten? I thought you were excited?"

"They're bigger than me."

Bunny nearly burst out laughing. She handed her book to Kitten and picked them both up. "Well to are the others at home but you're not afraid of them."

"Well, yeah, 'cause they came to us. We came here." Kitten bundled into her mother as a yeti led them back to their borrowed room.

"Ah, so you're afraid because they live here and you don't." Kitten nodded as Bunny sat her on the bed. "Well, the best way to get over that is to not think about it and know that soon we will be home. You can even go hide in the branches if you want to."

Kitten giggled and changed into a nicer set of clothes that she had stowed in her bag as her mother did the same. After they were finished they were escorted to Norths' sleigh.


	8. Chapter 8

The sleigh was large and easily carried them all at liftoff. Bunnymund sat near the front and clung on for dear life, screaming in fear all the way, Kitten and Bunny a little further back. Sandy and Tooth flew on either side of the sleigh whilst Jack stood right behind North.

North reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a glass ball. He anded it to jack who handed it to Bunny. "Now what you need to do is tell the ball where to go and throw it ahead of the deer." Bunny nodded and did as instructed, throwing the ball far enough ahead that all could see the tree ahead and gasp in delight.

Soon, they landed near the base of the trunk and Kitten hopped out, leaving her mother behind. The tenants of the tree flooded out to welcome the newcomers.

Max flew out of the tree, still clean from the last time Bunny had washed him. "BUNNY!"

Bunny picked him up as he jumped up into her arms. "Max? Is that you?" Max nodded enthusiastically. "But you're all clean! I may die of shock!" She thought a moment. "Yeah, no. It's not working for me, hon." She set him on his feet. "Go play in the mud. Get dirty. Go on." Max fist pumped the air and ran to do as told.

Bunny was pulled into a giggling group of seasons. They whispered into her ear and she let out a loud snort of laughter. After a moment she regained her self. "Well, is he okay?"

"Yeah, but cranky as hell.," Elle said as she adjusted a headband over her short brown hair.

"Being electrocuted does that to a person," August said to her, still giggling.

"So, he is awake? And he's fine?" The Seasons nodded and Bunny smiled. "Good. Now, go prep some of the extra rooms for our guests."

"Is there something wrong?" Jack stood behind Bunny who jumped at his voice.

Bunny spun around quickly, holding her heart. "Don't do that, kid; you might kill me." Jack raised an eyebrow. "As a matter of fact, nothing is wrong. Pitch tried to escape, yes, but all that happened is that he knocked himself out."

"Who knocked himself out?" Tooth floated next to them as the others gathered around them.

"Pitch. He's in a cell below the tree." The Honored Guardians rushed inside to see the cell. "But he's well contained there!" Bunny followed quickly, giving her bag to Mina as she passed.

The Guardians gathered at the cell doors, looking in on it's captive. Pitch snarled at the group that had defeated him in the first place and the one who had caged him. "Oh calm down, you overgrown dust bunny," Bunny said as she pushed through the others.

"You would know all about them, wouldn't you Bunny? Living in a dusty old hole." Pitch's tone was coldly amused, as always.

"Dearie, I live in a light and bright tree full of life! Considering you can't get out of that cell, I would think you know more about dust bunnies. After all, they are your only companions that aren't afraid of you." Bunny crossed her arms over her book, over her chest.

Pitched smirked. "I wouldn't say that." Bunny opened her book and read as he continued. "You see, even here, I can gather a following. A group to take my place; to give me more power." Pitch got close to the bars without touching them to whisper. "And it will be soon that I will escape."

"And that day is not today," Bunny said closing the book. Pitch looked confused as Bunny reached through the bars and grabbed his cloak collar. She stepped closer to the bars and whispered to him. "Your not getting out without me, and you have nothing to hold." She pulled him the few inches it took for him to touch the cell bars.

Pitch fell to the ground, unconsious, as Bunny simply stood there with a concerned look on her face and a black haze over her eyes. "He wants Burgess and Frostville first. Then he'll take on the rest of the state."


	9. Chapter 9

All the guardians sat or stood around the living area as Bunny showed what she saw. The darkness grew to over shadow the two cities, spreading death and decay to the people below. "That's Jamie!" Jack jumped as the child was thrown to the side to make way for Pitch and his still faceless companions.

"Who ever these two are, we must find them and stop them." Pappy pulled out an old stop watch and opened it up. "This must be done within the next two weeks or all will be lost."

A bright light shone through the darkness and eighteen figures emerged. "This isn't what he showed me." Bunny's eyes were clouded over with a familiar black fog, the vision taking over the words of the book.

"Who showed what," Jack asked confused from his place from the back of the couch. He was shushed by the others as they watched the figures take shape.

Bunny moved ahead of the group with Kitten, Pappy, Poppy, and Max while August led the Seasons to the left, Bunnymund leading the rest to the right. The battle went away before the fight could begin, Bunny's eyes still clouded.

"What is happening, Bunny? Why can't we see?" Pappy gripped onto her shoulder as the vision continued to in furl behind the inky blackness over her eyes.

When she spoke, her voice was watery. "I don't know. I can't get out."

Kitten took the book from her mothers lap and began to read aloud. "The Guardians set out across the game field towards the three conspititors; none knowing what was to commence, but all hoping for the best. Four Great Combibings occurred and the Three were victorious once again."

Bunny breathed in as her daughter stoped reading, the vision and the words on the page fading.

"What is a Great Combining?" Max asked the intelligent question.

"The three groups we saw, each one combined into one being. The one I lead was a great beast. August you turned into a woman. Everyone else was a child."

"Who won?" Jack seemed almost impatient. "How did it end?

"I couldn't see. What did the book say?"

"That the three were victorious again," Kitten said putting the book to the side.

"I think it's late." Poppy stood from her chair and checked her watch. "Yes, yes, it is. That means its time for bed." The collaboration groaned their disappointment. "No arguments, dearies. It's that time now go. No more thinking of this tonight. We an come back with fresh minds in the morning. Besides, Toothina and Sandy both have their business to attend to tonight yet.

The group agreed and disbursed for the night.

* * *

A/n: I know it's short but Christmas is killing me. I still don't know what I'm getting half the people on my list! I need Phil to help me! Where is that yeti when I need him. *sobbs in corner*


	10. Chapter 10

Jack had been given a bed on the Seasons floor to better know them. Bunnymund and North we're situated with Bunny and Kitten. Toothina stayed with Adam in the kitchen.

Kitten sat in the study with one of her mothers star books. Looking at the stars had always given Kitten her greatest sense of curiosity. Unlike the other books in her mothers collection, this particular star book was a special gift from her mother and the Man in the Moon. The book showed every star chart she wished to see: past, present, and future. Curled up in one of the chairs in the study, Kitten looked at the stars over Russia with avid fascination.

'All of these star names are on Russian,' she thought to herself as she turned the pages. 'I can't read them. Maybe mom will help me.' She picked up the book from her lap and hurried to her mother as she helped settle in their new guests. "Mommy?"

Bunny popped her head out of her room. "Kitten, you should be getting ready for bed."

"I'm not, tired." Kitten's simple explanation made Bunny backtrack from the room and pick up her daughter. "I'm looking at stars, but I can't pronounce them."

"Well, let's have a look-see." Bunny looked over the page Kitten was reading. "Well, no wonder, it's all in Russian! I'm afraid all the Russian I know was used to get us to the North Pole."

"What is this?" North appeared in his door way. "You cannot read Russian?"

"I wanna know the names of the stars," Kitten explained showing him the book.

North took the book and looked through the pages. "Well, is simple. I teach you, yeah?"

Kitten looked up at him with her big brown eyes. "Really!"

"Yes, in the morning, after you've had good nights sleep."

Kitten squirmed in her mothers arms. "Put me down! The faster I go to bed, the sooner I wake up and learn the star names!" Bunny laughed and set her down. Kitten ran to her room and shut the door to go to bed.

"You have just made my little Curiosity very excited. She'll love you forever if you do this for her." North chuckled lightly and shook his head. "You don't think so?" Bunny crossed her arms and leaned against her doorframe. "She absolutely loves the stars. You do this for her and she will never shut up about how smart you are."

"She really is very curious. It may get her into trouble."

"A little wonder may get her out. But now it's time for bed. Sleep well, North." She uncrossed her arms and entered her room, closing her door softly. North stayed in the hallway pondering her last words and the young Guardians' reaction to learning about the stars. He shrugged and went to bed himself.

* * *

A/n: ok, so here is the next chapter, finally! I know it's only a filler chapter but it's a new chapter and that makes me happy, so there. Ok, now I know kinda where this is going and how to get it there; but, hopefully with the movie out, it won't be so long before the next update. Thanks For Reading!


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